Numerous different types of eyeglasses are worn by people in the United States and throughout the rest of the world. For example, different types of eyeglasses include standard or conventional eyeglasses (meant to be worn all day long) and special purpose eyeglasses such as reading glasses and sunglasses (meant to be worn for specific tasks or purposes or for certain practical needs). Eyeglasses are made in many different styles and with many different aesthetic appearances, and are often part of a person's fashion.
Eyeglasses typically include a frame and two lenses attached to the frame. The frame typically includes a front section having two rims that hold the lenses and a bridge extending between the rims. The bridge sits over the nose and supports part of the weight of the eyeglasses. The frame also typically includes nose pads attached to the interior sections of the rims. The nose pads increase comfort and help the eyeglasses stay positioned on the wearer's face. The frame also typically includes two end pieces extending from the rims and two temples respectively hinged to the end pieces. The temples respectively include curved sections that are configured to extend over and behind the ears of the wearer to also support and hold the eyeglasses on the wearer.
People who wear eyeglasses and particularly special purpose eyeglasses often tend to take off their eyeglasses for various periods of time. When people take off their eyeglasses for relatively short periods of time, one common practice is to hang the eyeglasses from the wearer's shirt by hooking one of the temples of the eyeglasses over the collar or other portion of the wearer's shirt. This generally works well in sedentary situations. However, this often does not work well when the wearer is in motion. When the wearer is in motion, this temple of the eyeglasses can move or swing open sufficiently to enable the eyeglasses to disengage from the shirt and tumble to the ground. The inventor of the present disclosure experienced this first hand when the inventor was mowing his lawn. The inventor's eyeglasses fell off the inventor's shirt and were destroyed by the lawn mower blades. The subsequent sight of inventor's relatively expensive eyeglasses emerging, mangled and shattered, from underneath the lawnmower inspired the inventor to find a better way of holding eyeglasses when not in use.
Various general categories of known eyeglass holders are currently commercially available. A first type of known eyeglass holder includes a strap configured to be worn around a wearer's neck and grips respectively attachable to both temples of the eyeglasses. A second type of known eyeglass holder includes a simple loop or ring, configured to be worn on a necklace, a chain, a pin, a magnet, or a clip.
More specifically, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,539,922; 2,539,922; and D185,852 disclose eyeglass holders with straps. These eyeglass holders hold eyeglasses securely, despite some occasional awkwardness in taking the eyeglasses off and putting them back on. They are acceptable for casual occasions, but inappropriate at business or evening events where discreet elegance is preferable. Also, when eyeglasses hang from such a strap while dining, the lenses form a shelf at chest level and can become unwitting crumb catchers. This further diminishes their appeal in certain situations.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,956,795; 5,305,934; 5,860,191; 5,893,198; 5,956,812; 6,076,925; and 6,539,587 disclose eyeglass holders with a simple loop or ring. This loop or ring dangles from a necklace around a wearer's neck or from the wearer's clothing. One temple of the eyeglasses is inserted through the ring. The eyeglasses are then intended to hang vertically in the closed position, supported by one of the end pieces of the eyeglass frame, with the end piece resting on the lower portion of the ring.
Many variations of this device are currently commercially available. Certain versions of this device include tacked on ornamentation that attempts to camouflage the conspicuous utility of the device (e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,699,140). Certain versions of this device position the ring horizontally or perpendicular to the body for easy insertion of the tip of the temple (e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,319,838; and 7,584,527), or in the fashion favored by stationary mounted holders (e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,239,167; and 5,046,696).
While simple and convenient when the wearer is sitting or standing statically, these dangling loop devices do not prevent the temple from unfolding, thus enabling the eyeglasses to slip out. The loops that hold the eyeglasses closer to the clothing (e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,894,887; and U.S. Patent Publication No. 20090126159) also do not prevent the temple from slipping out when the wearer bends over.
Another variation of a ring device is a fabric loop sewn directly onto the front of a shirt (e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 7,584,527). This provides more security when standing upright because the body of the wearer can resist the unfolding of the temple, but this advantage is compromised when the wearer bends over. Further, it is neither desirable nor convenient to have loops sewn onto every shirt of a wearer. One proposed solution to this problem recently commercially appeared under the name ReadeREST™. This device uses magnets instead of sewn stitches. Strong magnets on the inside and outside of the wearer's clothing attach a metal support to the wearer, enabling the device to be transferred from garment to garment. While more convenient than the sewn loop, this device retains the flaw of not protecting the glasses when the user bends over.
Certain proposed devices aim to prevent eyeglasses from falling out of the holder as a result of either the temple swinging open or the wearer bending over.
One such device is a variation of the simple ring device. U.S. Pat. No. 5,033,612 discloses adding a smaller loop or funneled enclosure, perpendicularly affixed to the back of the ring, just behind the point where the eyeglasses rest on the bottom of the ring. This smaller loop is intended to hold the inserted eyeglass temple in the closed position. The location of the smaller loop, however, can create an awkward geometry which can make insertion difficult. Further, there is some question as to the widths of eyeglass temples which such a holder can receive. Additionally, due to the structural requirement of the perpendicular loop, the visual design variations of this device are even more limited than the simple ring.
Another known variation of the ring device is disclosed in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2012/0118923. This published patent application discloses the addition of a small strap attached to the ring, which the user is expected to hook over the upward pointing temple of the eyeglass frame. The strap creates an additional, awkward step for securing the eyeglasses, and an obstacle to removing the eyeglasses from this device for ready use. It also adds yet one more aesthetic disadvantage to the ring.
Another known variation of the ring concept is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,688,507. This patent discloses a second, smaller, internal ring, mounted by a hinged mechanism to the top of the main support ring. This second ring, when closed, reduces the opening of the main ring and provides a constraint that resists vertical movement of the eyeglasses. It helps prevent a wearer's eyeglasses from being bounced out of the ring, but it provides limited resistance in the case of the temple swinging open and sliding out at inopportune moments. The additional parts reduce the ease of use and add to the cost of manufacture of this device. The functionality of this device also minimizes variation in visual design.
PCT Published Patent Application No. WO2007088124 discloses an arrangement of two flexible loops that the wearer can fold over to hold the temple at separate points. This device requires considerable patience for threading the eyeglass temples into the device and for removing them for their intended use. Aesthetically, this device is even more difficult to camouflage than the simpler ring devices.
Other proposed devices similarly aim to secure the eyeglass temple at two points, by having the wearer thread the temple through two separated holes on a flexible strap (e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,157,166; and 7,325,921). Since these devices are configured for locations like the rearview mirrors of automobiles and the straps of backpacks, wearable aesthetics are not of apparent consideration. Also, threading an object through a flexible strap entails frequent fumbling and high potential for frustration.
Another approach to the problem of preventing eyeglasses from unfolding and slipping from their holder is the use of a sleeve device. Simple variations on this concept include a rigid sleeve in the shape of a slightly flattened cylinder as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,818,621, and a flexible sleeve as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 8,739,570. Both are configured to be suspended on necklaces. The lower body of the sleeve is intended to exert leverage, employing the weight of the sleeve itself, on the inserted temple of the eyeglass frames. The problem is that the eyeglass frame rests on the top of the sleeve, which is precisely the point from which the sleeve is suspended from the necklace. The pivot points of both the sleeve and eyeglass temple are on the same axis. Thus, only the weight of the sleeve is available to exert leverage. This small weight, distributed along a short moment arm, much shorter than the temple itself, provides only a minor improvement over devices like the ring or shirt collar—unless the sleeve is made to be uncomfortably heavy. Also, despite the ornamental intent of both of these sleeve devices, neither successfully conceals the conspicuousness of the primary purpose of the device.
Other sleeve devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,452,354; 4,771,515; 5,408,728; 5,414,906; 5,626,224; 6,039,173; 6,206,258; and 7,200,897; and U.S. Patent Publication No. 2013/0057823. These documents disclose various sleeve or sleeve-like mechanisms to secure glasses to a wearer or to another object, not by any dangling suspension mechanism, but with clips, pins, and the like. They are rugged, utilitarian devices that obviate the disadvantages of the pendulous sleeves at the cost of visual appeal, variability of method of attachment to a wearer's body or clothing, and ease of manufacture.
Accordingly, none of these devices provide a complete solution and satisfy various practical needs and aesthetic desires. There is thus a need for an eyeglass holder that solves all of these problems.